Bottled water dispensers are usually arranged to receive the neck of an inverted bottle filled with clean water. Sometimes, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4 699 188 and WO 90/03919 for example, the bottle is provided with a cap through which a feed tube is inserted to discharge the water from the bottle. When the bottle is removed the feed tube remains projecting upwards, fully exposed, ready to receive a fresh bottle.
There is currently a requirement to maintain strict hygiene in water dispensers, and an aim of the present invention may be viewed as being to improve the hygiene of such dispensers.